The U.S. Postal Service, facing a fiscal crisis after years of declining revenue, is seeking ways to cut costs particularly at its rural post offices that get less daily use than its urban offices.

More than 90 percent of Livermore residents surveyed last month favored reducing hours at the Livermore Post Office to help save money, according to the USPS. Of 1,001 surveys mailed to Livermore postal customers, 445 were returned; 409 favored realigning hours to more closely suit customer traffic.

Given the overwhelming support for reducing hours over relocation or delivery changes, USPS has said retail hours in Livermore will likely be 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., opening two hours later than usual on weekdays, and closing for lunch from noon to 12:30 p.m. Saturday hours would remain 8 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. The postal service will finalize its decision on Thursday with any changes taking effect in March, said USPS Denver spokesman David Rupert.

Access to boxes at the Livermore Post Office at the corner of County Road 74E and U.S. Highway 287 will remain unchanged.

The post office, about 25 miles northwest of Fort Collins, serves 993 households in a geographic area ranging from the Wyoming border to Red Feather Lakes.

At a community meeting attended by 39 residents last week, the biggest concern was the right timing of the hours, Rupert said.

The Livermore Post Office, like many rural offices, loses money, he said.

Deb Pidcock, manager of The Forks across the street from the post office, said reducing hours will not impact the store. “I think they’ll come in whenever they get their mail, it doesn’t matter what time.”

Proposed changes in Livermore are part of an overall evaluation of 13,000 post offices across the country. Other area rural post offices, including Red Feather Lakes, Glen Haven and Severance, will likely go through a similar evaluation next year.

Reducing hours or moving the physical location of post offices could save up to $500 million a year, savings the postal service desperately needs as more people and businesses communicate via email, pay bills online and opt for electronic billing.